How many Canadians are there here?

[Rattus]

Our Thanksgiving meal this weekend won't be our traditional nachos and cherry pie, but mac and cheese and a peach cobbler, along with a movie (we've settled on The Long Weekend, an Australian horror movie make in the 70s). We were going to go on our annual fall leaf drive, but neither of us could work up any enthusiasm for the prospect this year, so we're going to take the streetcar over to Queen West and see what's new, hit the used record and book shops, maybe do lunch and just generally be lazy and urban. I'm actually really looking forward to it.

[canadian_angel]

I think we're going to my grandparents and we're just doing the usual turkey and carrot pie meal. But honestly, that sounds the best to me right now because I get to BE there! And this year I will enjoy every morsel of food!

[AJane]

The in-laws are coming, along with sister-in-law, SIL's new baby - my first little niece , Grandma, and my MIL's chihuahua. My oldest daughter's friend from her old school in Saskatchewan will also be in town this weekend and they are both insanely excited to see each other after almost 2 years. Somehow we will find time to have a turkey dinner, I guess. I don't have enough beds or chairs for everyone, but we'll manage.

[canuckinchile]

Me either AJ! I have 6 extra 18 year olds showing up for the weekend I'm throwing them all in the basement It's kind of neat because they all went to school together on the West coast (high school) and these kids don't have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving since we are now near Toronto. They're nice kids but I'm laying in the supplies! Unk, you're welcome at my table any time

[Unklescott]

Canuck you're helping to create some fond memories for those kids. I remember my freshman year of college taking off on my first road trip on Thanksgiving. My best friend, his girlfriend, his sister and myself drove to his mom's house in Jonesboro AR from Nashville for Thanksgiving. I felt so grown up.

[misskitty]

I really need to get a passport so I can come and visit some of you for Thanksgiving dinner! They sound absolutely wonderful!

[Ellen]

That's so cool, canuckinchile! When my siblings and I were in college, my mom always told us to invite anyone who couldn't afford to go home for Thanksgiving to our house. As a result, we always had a crowd for Thankgiving dinner. Everyone was sent home with leftovers (my mom had to get a second turkey so Dad could have turkey "sammiches" for lunch the following week), and everyone was considered family from that point on. So in following years, Mom always told the "adoptees" to bring along any classmates/friends they knew to T-giving dinner. (It's amazing how many people you can stuff into a small 3-bedroom, 1-bath ranch house!) Mom always wanted 12 kids (I sure as hell didn't inherit that gene!!!), but could "only" have three, so now she has a TON of "adopted" kids. Even after I moved to California, my Milwaukee friends (and their kids -- her adopted grandkids, since I didn't produce any) still go and visit my parents.

So for me, whenever my husband and I had Thanksgiving just on our own, it always felt . . . I dunno . . . strange. (Not so much for DH, though, as MIL never wanted any guests. Ever. Luckily, DH doesn't take after his 'rents.) Now, because of the ESL clients from France that I have during Thanksgiving week (because if it's not a holiday in France, we still have lessons), we always have guests for Thanksgiving. It's especially fun when I have students who like to cook, because then everyone helps with meal preparation. You haven't seen excitement until you've been in the middle of four people wielding knives in a postage-stamp sized kitchen in a teeny-weeny apartment! And my DH loves it -- he says he never knew what he was missing growing up when his family never shared with anyone else. And now he gets so excited about our French guests that he starts talking about Thanksgiving as soon as August.

[MRD]

That's so cool, canuckinchile! When my siblings and I were in college, my mom always told us to invite anyone who couldn't afford to go home for Thanksgiving to our house. As a result, we always had a crowd for Thankgiving dinner. Everyone was sent home with leftovers (my mom had to get a second turkey so Dad could have turkey "sammiches" for lunch the following week), and everyone was considered family from that point on. So in following years, Mom always told the "adoptees" to bring along any classmates/friends they knew to T-giving dinner. (It's amazing how many people you can stuff into a small 3-bedroom, 1-bath ranch house!) Mom always wanted 12 kids (I sure as hell didn't inherit that gene!!!), but could "only" have three, so now she has a TON of "adopted" kids. Even after I moved to California, my Milwaukee friends (and their kids -- her adopted grandkids, since I didn't produce any) still go and visit my parents.

So for me, whenever my husband and I had Thanksgiving just on our own, it always felt . . . I dunno . . . strange. (Not so much for DH, though, as MIL never wanted any guests. Ever. Luckily, DH doesn't take after his 'rents.) Now, because of the ESL clients from France that I have during Thanksgiving week (because if it's not a holiday in France, we still have lessons), we always have guests for Thanksgiving. It's especially fun when I have students who like to cook, because then everyone helps with meal preparation. You haven't seen excitement until you've been in the middle of four people wielding knives in a postage-stamp sized kitchen in a teeny-weeny apartment! And my DH loves it -- he says he never knew what he was missing growing up when his family never shared with anyone else. And now he gets so excited about our French guests that he starts talking about Thanksgiving as soon as August.

Ellen, I know how you feel. My mom always had at least 3 or 4 of my friends eating with us as well as various family members and others who didn't have any other place to go. We routinely had about 25 every Thanksgiving. The last few years have been kind of lonely as it's usually just been the 3 of us.

[misskitty]

I managed to organize a little part-family Thanksgiving lunch! My twin sinister offered to have me, Mom and Dad over for some pumpking pie and coffee. So, I suggested to cook a stuffed turkey roll and bring it over. My sister has some fresh bread buns from the bakery, so I said we could stack them with turkey, dressing and pour gravy over them and have an open face turkey sammy! Just like the "messy chicken" sandwhich they serve at Swiss Chalet! And she thought that would be ok, as it wasn't really "dinner" with veggies and stuff. SHe didn't want all that. So I also managed to sneak in a salad too as I know my Mom and Dad would like that! Cranberries will also make it into my food hamper. Of course, I'm bringing it all over to her place so it's like "she" hosted Thanksgiving lunch, but I'm glad we're doing something with my Mom and Dad. Not surprisingly, my older sister and husband aren't invited and don't know we are doing this. My twin sinister doesn't feel they should get two chances to eat as they are going to his family's the next day.

In this family, it's not always the more the merrier. The smaller and more controlled, the easier it is for twin sinister to deal with. Sigh. Oh well, I'm counting my blessings! I get turkey, and gravy, and cranberries!!

[MRD]

Miss Kitty, that sounds like a lovely T-day lunch.

I mentioned something on a smaller scale this year and got loudly vetoed. Not smaller in numbers as it will just be 4 of us, but god forbid, I cut back on the "traditional' food.